“One of the officers who worked on the scene of Robert’s accident is a member of this church,” Mark said.
Kathryn’s pulse quickened. “Did they find out something more? Was it not an accident?”
“No, they are convinced it was an accident. Robert was on the phone, and was a little distracted, but the other driver ran the red light.”
“That’s what they told me, too. But what about the other driver? Did he hit Robert on purpose?”
Mark’s eyes narrowed. “Katie, it’s not normal to think someone would hit Robert on purpose. The other driver was a teenage boy. He simply didn’t have much driving experience.” His eyes bore into hers. “Why do you believe someone has a reason to hurt Robert?”
Kathryn paled. This conversation wasn’t going the way she expected. “I, I don’t…” she stammered. “I simply asked the officers why the wreck happened.”
“Does this have something to do with what happened in California?” Mark asked.
Kathryn’s head jolted up, her eyes wide. “How could you possibly know?” She clapped her hand over her mouth, willing the words back in, but it was too late.
Mark folded his arms across his chest. “Katie, I need you to tell me if there is a reason why you, Robert, or anyone else in my family might be in danger.”
Kathryn’s insides twisted into a knot. Guilt and dread filled her. She never thought about her connection to the Campbells. If anything happened to those kids because of her stupid mistake…
Mark put his hand on hers. “Katie, you can talk to me in complete confidence.”
Kathryn met his eyes, hers filling with hot tears.
“What do you know about California?” she asked.
“Only that Robert was worried about you. The last year you were out there, he said you grew distant, almost paranoid. He said he tried to ask you about it, but you always found a way to avoid the conversation. You were always away from home, spending all your time at the university. At first he thought there was another man, but later he thought there was more to it.”
Kathryn slumped against the chair as Mark continued.
“He confided in me because he needed someone to help him process it all. We talked about it a lot when you first moved back here, but he seemed to think it was no longer an issue since you moved. Now with the way you’ve reacted to the accident, I put two and two together and assumed it was related.”
Kathryn’s gaze fell to the table. Would she never be rid of this guilt and shame? She couldn’t handle the idea of Mark and Anne finding out what she’d done, but she needed to see if Charlie was still a threat to her.
“I was never involved with another man,” she said. “But something did happen out there that made me scared. I didn’t know what to do.”
Mark patted her hand and passed over a box of tissues. He was obviously not a stranger to having people break down in his office. Kathryn wasn’t about to lose it now, not after braving so much. She studied his face. She’d kept silent for so long. Mark was a pastor, after all. She could trust him…
But no, that was it. She didn’t want him to realize what a terrible person she was. She would handle it on her own, the same way she always did.
“I wanted to tell Robert, but I didn’t want him involved. I thought if I told him, they would go after him. I thought they finally found me and went after him anyway.”
Mark’s eyes were wide. He was visibly shaken. “Katie, if you’re afraid you’re in danger, you need to talk to the police.”
Her head jerked up, panic stricken. “No! I couldn’t do that.”
